A Bigger Free Tier for Our Semantic Graph Database-as-a-Service

We are happy to announce that since Dec 1st we’ve increased the free tier for the semantic graph database-as-a-service (DBaaS) to 10 million triples!
All the free Micro DBaaS instances which were already running on the Self-Service Semantic Suite (S4) platform were upgraded to the next level – XS DBaaS – without any interruption of the services.

The Benefits of a Semantic Graph Database

The typical data management challenges that a graph database is well suited for include:

Agile “schema-late” or “schema-less” data management – when it is easier and more feasible to define your data model (schema or ontology) after some data integration was performed, e.g. changing the Extract-Transform-Load process into Extract-Load-Transform one

Relationship centric use cases – where different objects (people, locations, organisations, digital assets, events, products, topics, etc.) need to be interlinked together, so that efficient exploration, navigation and querying of the information is possible. Alternative approaches are not well suited for such cases – e.g. too many relationship tables and joins in a RDBMS, or very limited means to model and navigate relationships in a NoSQL database like a column store or a document store.

On top of such advantages, the class of semantic graph databases (also called “RDF databases” or “triplestores”) provide additional advantages:

Ability to derive new information, based on rules. A semantic graph database provides the benefits of both a DBMS and a rule engine, and the domain specific business logic can be an explicit part of the data model, instead of hidden within custom and complex application-level code

Ability to easily publish data for and/or consume data from 3rd parties – Linked Data is an approach for publishing & interlinking data on the web, which improves the information interchange between the different departments within the enterprise, or across the organization boundaries

Semantic Graph Database-as-a-Service

Running your semantic graph database as a service (DBaaS) in the Cloud provides even further advantages:

Time savings – no need to spend time on provisioning and maintaining the infrastructure & software required for the database – the database-as-a-service can be up and running within seconds with just a few clicks

Cost savings – eliminating the need for complex and slow budgeting processes, with a pay-per-use model where developers pay only for the resources (data volume) that they utilise and can instantly adjust the resources up or down – upgrade or downgrade the database server – based on the current usage needs

Reduced risk – with no upfront commitments developers can quickly start prototyping with the semantic graph DBaaS for their use cases, but also be free to stop using it at any time if an alternative solution is selected

The XS database-as-a-service is completely free to developers, so that they can start experimenting with Smart Data prototypes immediately – all maintenance and operations details are taken care of by the S4 platform on behalf of developers.

Next Steps

If you haven’t already done so, register a developer account for the Self-Service Semantic Suite (S4) and get your free fully managed RDF database-as-a-service.
Additional information on the semantic graph DBaaS is available from the S4 documentation website: setup instructions and detailed documentation, sample code, technical papers and webinar recordings.

As the technological captain of Ontotext, he is leading the company on the right tech route and reserving our spot on the map of the world. His sharp mind can explain complex things in a simple way, making him an invaluable resource in semantics. Marin is a frequent speaker on semantic conferences and open data meetups at various technology related events.

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